Middle East & Africa
Saudi Arabia’s backing for Sudan’s Burhan means enduring military rule
Saudi Arabia’s claim to oppose outside interference in Sudan is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. Riyadh is no longer merely a venue for mediation...
The Houthi Blockade: Can Saudi Arabia Really Escape Iran’s Trap?
The question is no longer whether Saudi Arabia will respond to the Houthi blockade but what kind of response it can sustain. Riyadh has...
China’s Iran Dilemma: What Happens If Tehran Quits the NPT—and War With the US Erupts?
China opposes the US and Western escalation against Iran and insists on condemning the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear targets. China considers...
A Closer Look at Iran’s Hardliner-Reform Divide
The hardliner–pragmatist divide is a useful analytical framework for understanding the main disagreement over the war, but the reality of power within the Islamic...
Why Egypt’s Talks With Hamas Matter: China’s Intelligence and Military Reading
Chinese intelligence, military, political, and strategic circles received the news of the meeting between Egyptian Intelligence Chief Major General Hassan Rashad and a Hamas...
Can Tinubu Win Re-Election Despite Nigeria’s Economic Crisis?
As campaigning begins for Nigeria’s January elections, President Bola Tinubu faces a difficult test of both his economic reforms and his All Progressives Congress...
China’s Iran Strategy After the 60-Day US-Iran Deadline: What Happens Next?
On Monday, August 17, 2026, the 60-day deadline for the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (IMOU) between the United States and Iran expired without a...
Trump’s Board of Peace Faces a Gaza Governance Crisis It May Not Be Able to Solve
The Board of Peace is not a ceasefire-management mechanism drifting toward failure. It is a governance model built with the same structural fault line...
Washington drew Iraq a red line it can’t enforce. It will settle for a photo op
The US-led coalition leaves Iraq on Sept. 30, and Washington has attached a price to the exit: the country's most powerful militias must hand...
Will the Gulf ever recover from the Iran War permacrisis?
Before the launch of Operation Epic Fury back in February, the Islamic Republic’s lashing out at both enemies and erstwhile friends, and the grinding...